Pop tart

The new Fauchon venue is located in Mall of the Emirates' Fashion Dome
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A little bit punk’ is how Paul Bishop, managing partner of Bishop Design Associates (BDA), describes the Fauchon brand.

Since opening its first store in Paris’ Place de Madeleine in 1886, Fauchon has evolved into a funky delicatessen/café combo with a growing presence around the globe.

High end and highly aspirational, Fauchon is characterised by its unashamed Frenchness. It is edgy and adventurous, and tinged with an ever so slight hint of good-natured arrogance. In 1898, Fauchon launched its Grand Salon de Thé, which would quickly become a Parisian institution – and a firm favourite with the city’s wealthy and influential. To this day, the brand is buoyed by the sense of heritage born in that 19th century tea room.

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When Paris Group, the franchisee of Fauchon in the UAE, decided to open a new café and retail concept in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates, BDA was called in to create an interior that would capture the essence of this multi-faceted brand.

The resultant design so impressed the folks at Fauchon that BDA has since been appointed to oversee the design of all new Fauchon venues opening in the region over the next two years. The company’s regional expansion plans will see the total number of outlets in the Middle East rise to 23, and BDA will be responsible for the design of all new additions to the portfolio, as well as the revamp of existing venues.

Brand evolution

The design of the Mall of the Emirates outlet was the first step in a new evolution of the Fauchon brand. “The Fauchon team had a general idea of what needed to be changed and revamped. They have great vision. This is a strong international brand which is starting to get a lot of recognition,” Bishop said.

The new venue is located in Mall of the Emirates’ recently-launched 10,500m² luxury wing, the Fashion Dome. Flooded with natural light and set in close proximity to a mall entrance, the Fauchon site was both large and well appointed, Bishop noted. “It is theoretically considered as two separate venues. One part is retail and the other is F&B, and it’s rented out from the mall as two separate spaces.”

The retail area sells a range of chocolates, confectionary items and other novelties, and will eventually expand its product offering to include fresh breads and pastries. The café offers food and drinks throughout the day.
The first challenge was making sure that the two venues were integrated,

but also very distinct. Colour was utilised as a key differentiator; in the retail area, gold dominates, while in the café, silver is the prominent colour. The two areas are divided by large glass panels, so while a sense of separation exists, there is also visual continuity between the two spaces.